I would bet money that 99.9% of you love hitting thrift stores. I am one of you! Sometimes I’m looking for housewares, sometimes I’m looking for decor to transform, and other times I’m just looking for something interesting that sparks my creativity.
With that being said, I’m sad to admit that I’ve shopped my local Goodwill store exactly once in the last few months. At the end of my pregnancy (I only have about 5 more weeks, y’all! EEK!!), my energy level has plummeted and I don’t feel like I have that creative ‘oomphf’ that I used to. Hopefully, that will soon return with my waistline.
However, with all of the getting ready for baby preparations that have been going on around here, I’ve made many trips to Goodwill – to drop off donations. We tend to collect items from around our house that need to be donated and drop them off about once a month. I’ve been dropping off a lot more recently since we have had to combine some rooms to clear out the room that is now the nursery.
My family donates our used items to Goodwill (and only to Goodwill) for several reasons:
- We love that Goodwill puts people to work and helps with job training. With all of the economic woes these days, that is an important aspect for us.
- We have too much stuff. We strive to live what we call a “Low Crap Lifestyle.” We don’t keep stuff hanging around for the sake of saving it because we might use it one day. We aren’t perfectly in compliance with our LCL, but we are one of the few houses in our neighborhood that can park both cars in the garage, as well as our lawn mower, trash and recycling cans, and all of our tools.
- It’s convenient. I have both a Goodwill store and a drop-off location within a few miles of my house. It’s easy to just drop things off when I am out running errands.
Recently, Goodwill put together a calculator that shows you just how much you are helping your community with each item you donate. Using their calculator, I have determined that my donation of a lamp, 5 shirts, an old purse and a pair of jeans provides for 1.3 hours of resume preparation services. My donations truly have a larger impact than I ever imagined.
Do you donate to the same thrift stores you shop? And what are *your* reasons for donating? Do tell!
I donate only to Good Will and for some of the same reasons you do. I have also found some awesome things there for next to nothing, and because of that I want to give back by donating good used items. Also, I’m all about being practical. If someone might want what I don’t, then good! Someone will be getting some good out of it.
Nancy
I donate because there is still life in the goods that people are too happy to throw into the trash. Just because I don’t like this shirt anymore, it doesn’t mean there isn’t someone that is desperate to find a shirt just like it for a job interview they have. The lamp isn’t my style anymore, but it might be perfect for someone else to help cast light on a desk of a child doing their homework.
I donate to Goodwill (or sometimes Freecycle or Craigslist, if I see people have asked for something that I am able to give). I have been known to save something from a trash pile to donate to a place where it can be obtained by a happy recipient or repurpose or recycle or reuse in my own home. Most of the things in my home were bought at Goodwill or yard sales. I like having things that had a life before me. Often the stuff I have bought is such higher quality than the brand-new alternative in a department store that would cost five times as much.
I donate because I care. I don’t want to be another person with a Throw-Away Attitude.
Hi Lindsay! We are AVID donaters… Kim and I hate clutter and we like tax deductions. I’d say that our #1 reason for donating is to repurpose things we aren’t using so that someone else might be able to use them. #2 is getting the tax deduction; and, #3 is the greater benefits that an organization like Goodwill provides to the community. (Prior to reading this post I might have only cited #1 and #2, honestly).
We give stuff away more than once per month, even if its just one bag of clothes that won’t fit the kids anymore (which shows how much an ‘average’ household can accumulate). We religiously track all of our donations with photos and receipts, and then use Intuit’s “It’sDeductible” program to value the items at tax time. It takes about 5 hours to itemize everything, but we usually end up writing off about $2000 worth of stuff or more, which makes a difference to the bottom line.
Oooh, I forgot the tax deduction. That’s my #4! DH loves adding those receipts at tax time!
Lindsay…I love this post today…Now girl I donate all I have to Hospice and that’s because it helps to go to find cures for cancer and to help with dying people to live at home…
Hospice is a wonderful cause and I have always been about a great cause in my life…I also buy from Hospice and redonate it back after a few months ha ha!! Guess you could say I really help the cause…Hope all is well in your world today and each day…Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria
I donate to my local outreach thrift store, mainly because it’s close and I’ve seen the good work they do. The nearest Goodwill is about 40 miles away and that’s just too far for me to go – both for donations and for thrifting.
I do donate to a local thrift store. I donate exclusively to the Habitat for Humanity Store. I have many reasons that I only donate to this store:
1. Most people in my town seem to give to Goodwill, so I want to give somewhere else to “spread the love around!”
2. Among those that Habitat for Humanity employs are folks that are in recovery, trying to get their life back together, or working toward owning their first home.
3. I live in the inner city and I want my dollars to be circulated in the inner city. My donations are sold in the city to inner city folks and the money generated goes to pay the inner city people that are employed there. I like having that economic dollars go around in an area of town that I am passionate about.
4. I fully believe in the ministry of Habitat and how they empower others to reach new milestones with home ownership.
5. I like that Habitat will take donations of plumbing, lumber, door jambs, windows, sheet rock, hardwood floors, tile, lighting fixtures, etc.
6. Habitat will come pick-up large items or if I have too much to fit in my car!
7. Habitat for Humanity is all about rehabilitation, restoration, and realizing dreams!
Hi Lindsay!
I have loved reading your blog–and thanks for this post, because I am a firm believer in donations to simplify my life and help someone else in need. One of my favorites is Friends of MS, because they actually come to my front door and pick up all the bags of donations. I have so much extra stuff and hand-me-down clothing that we also give to the Boys and Girls Club and our local Deseret Industries. Some of the stuff I originally bought at the same store years before. I think it all evens out in the end!
I donate because of the same reasons as previously mentioned and I also feel that we as a family aren’t using the items anymore, so I’d rather donate it to someone who can.
We donate a lot! One it is great way to clear out stuff you don’t need but that doesn’t need to go to a landfill. I really like Goodwill because of the job training stuff they do. And I like the tax benefits it brings!
I think that calculator is really cool!
I donate because I know whatever I give will help someone AND it keeps it out of the landfill. However, I have to say I do not donate to our local Goodwill. I feel they mark their prices to high and bc of that, people who need something still can’t afford it! for example: I went in there recently and there was a couch for $300. I find that completely unreasonable. I realize this may not be the case everywhere though.
I donate to Union Mission and a few other local places.
Hey Leigh Anne — Most Goodwills try to make the most of their donations, because what we sell in our stores funds our mission. If you think the prices in your area are too high, you should give your local Goodwill HQ a call and let them know, because each local Goodwill sets their own pricing policies. You can find them at http://locator.goodwill.org.
Thanks for the info. and I may just do that! I do feel Goodwill has excellent programs in place and does help out the community. As a whole, I feel they are fabulous, I didn’t convey that in my comment. Thanks for the reply
Our Goodwill store is priced pretty high too with a few exceptions. I still go in and look around for bargains, but I usually shop at the Salvation Army. We give all our stuff to the Salvation Army too. It seems like I always have a pile to take there. Love the tax deductions, but most of all, it helps others.
Where I live, Salvation Army is WAY higher than Goodwill. Funny how it’s different everywhere.
Hey Lindsay,
Thanks for the post! We really appreciate your support — and so do the people we serve. That 1.3 hours of resume preparation could change a person’s life forever, and we’re able to provide that because of your generous donations.
I want to let all of the commentors know that we have a blogger network for the Donate Movement. We’re looking for people to simply answer the question, “Why do you donate?” You can find out how to join it — and see everyone who already has — here: http://bit.ly/9b0Uhu.
How great! That calculator is really neat & I’m sure it gives plenty of shoppers who use it an extra boost for the morale knowing that they’re doing for others when they donate. I myself have a big box of clothes & shoes to donate soon.
I donate whenever I have a stock pile, I know that it is helpful to not only people locally but also keeps USEFUL things out of the landfill! Of course i like the tax deduction but that isn’t the most important thing
I donate for the same reasons…and we give to St. Vincent de Paul in our area, they do many of the same things that Goodwill does and they are also faith based. I also really would like to give more to freecycle because I have enjoyed so many free things from people on there.
I donate to Deseret Industries. I actually worked there when I was a poor newly wed – I was a manager in the clothing department – behind the scenes. We sold a lot of what we received but a lot of items went to Africa such as blue pants and white button down shirts so those children could have a uniform for school. Blankets were washed and cleaned and sent to countries in need after natural disasters. Any fabric we received went to the Relief Society to be made into blankets and quilts and sent to those in need. At Christmas, poor families were brought into the back area for the first selection of coats and Christmas gifts. It’s the best place to search for Halloween costumes. And sometimes they have great old decor. Those of us starting out received training such as typing skills, management skills, help in preparing a portfolio. Now they even help pay for school if you’ll work at least 20 hrs a week. It really opened my eyes to see the good in the community. I like donating and it’s good to see it help locally and world wide as well.
What a neat story!
I started out donating to Salvation Army. They were close by and easy access to the collection boxes out back. Our SA recently stopped taking donations and the next closest is an hour away so we switched to the Goodwill that just opened. I donate for several reasons, the first being that I want to help people who can’t afford dept store prices. The second is it helps me get rid of clutter without filling landfills, third is the tax write off.
Great post! I love to donate and shop at Goodwill. It makes me feel good to put an item I don’t use or need in the hands of someone that can and not in my local landfill. I also really admire all they do for the community. Plus, you NEVER know what little treasure you will find that you didn’t even know you needed!
I donate because the 4-year-old me who, along with my single mother, lost our possession and apartment in NYC to a fire received clothing from someone who donated. I can’t help but think of the family that lost everything who would benefit from my daughter outgrowing her shoes or my son outgrowing his shirts. I don’t think twice about stuffing donations in a clear bag every couple of months and delivering it to a program that will ensure that someone will receive a benefit because the money made on a donation goes back to charitable programs that serve a purpose.
Wow – that’s powerful.
We donate (and shop) at Salvation Army and a local independent thrift store, Providence Mission in Dalton, Georgia. Both provide emergency services to families – Providence has alcohol/drug rehab program, church services, Christmas Day programs, etc. You never know what you will find.
LOve the idea of a Low Crap Lifestyle – - I’m a long ways from that, but working on it.
I donate to a variety of thrift stores because I think each is valuable. My favorite place to donate to is a thrift store sponsored by a hospital for those with mental illness. They offer employment to patients receiving treatment, giving them an improved sense of self-worth. All profits are also funneled back into their programs too.
I donate, mostly to Goodwill. I love their program for helping put people to work. Goodwill makes it easy to donate because they have convenient drop-off locations. The one thing that bugs me about GW, their prices here can be a bit high. If they lowered the prices, more people in need could afford to buy. Love SA too, but it’s a bit out of the way for me, and I usually get tired of the filled boxes sitting in the garage or family room for more than a couple of days, so GW gets it. It’s a plus to get the tax deduction, but just knowing the stuff is not going to landfills is nice,too.
I donate [and shop] because my sister was helped by this type of charity when she was beginning her recovery journey.
One of my favorite places to shop is Green Demolition, where they salvage building materials [and other stuff] and the proceeds support rehab. Half of my house is from Green Demo. Not only did I help a charity, but they helped make a cookie cutter, ‘builder grade’ house into a home with ‘upgrades’ I could have never otherwise afforded.
I donate to Broadway Treasures. It is a thrift store next door to where I work. I helps our local crisis/domestic violence shelter. I donate because I believe in their cause and I like how they are run.
I also love to show at thrift stores. My rule is I have to get rid of the same number of items that I come home with. ~grins~ If not, I would have to add on to my house.
We donate to a local thrift store because they send all their profits to a village in Africa to help support an orphanage there, as well as, some local families in desperate need. The money goes to a missionary over there who takes care to be sure it goes where it needs to. We don’t get receipts for tax credits for it, we just donate…they look at us funny when we drop of non-junk stuff and don’t want receipts. But we love supporting what they are doing!
We have donated to Goodwill in the past, but there isn’t one in our current town.
I donate because even as kid my mom made me go through toys I outgrew to “give to kids who don’t have toys” and it just stuck with me. It’s a great way to help others and an incentive to take care of my stuff so I can pass it on when I’m done. And in the case of our Habitat Restore, I really want to help build a Habitat House but don’t have the time right now, so my donations to the Restore are my way of helping out. Of course my shopping at the Restore helps them out a little bit more than my donating ifyaknowwhatImean
We too strive to live a LCL. I donate to various organizations at least every couple of weeks. If it hasn’t been used recently then we don’t need to hold on to it. There are several groups in the area who make regular stops to pick up donations, so it couldn’t be easier. I’m thinking many people where I live don’t donate. We live in a nice area, but the Goodwill store has nothing but junk…I’m mean scary stuff! I miss my Goodwill shopping days.
I will not be donating to Goodwill ever again. They rejected many items that I wanted to give to them as a donation! Kids toys, clothes, books, to name a few. They even rejected a bicycle. I took these items to a local church, and they were happy to give them to the kids. I will never donate, or shop at this place ever again!
I love to shop at Good Will, but not to much donate. I have heard that pretty much everything but clothes get thrown away after a certain time period, and that I can not agree with. I have donated to the local domestic violence shelter in the past, and am getting together my next one…unsure of where it’s headed off to, however…there’s a GW and a SA close to me!